House



'fil 5mm-tm @litem/m C. P. LIGHTHOUSE.

3 Sheets-Sheet l.

MAIL BAG.

(No Model.)

No. 584,726. Patented June 15, 1897...

(No Model.) 8 Sheets-Slvhret 2. C. F. LIGHTHOUSE.

MAIL BAG.'

Patented June 15,` v1897.

IIIL un auw@ (No Model.) '3 Sheets-Sheet 3. C. F. LIGHTHOUSE.

MAIL BAG.

No. 584,726.y Patented June 15,1897.

Tn: Nanms PETERS ou. PNOTLLLITHO., wAsHlNToN. b1.

NiTnn STATES PATENT e FFICE..

CHARLES F. LIGHTHOUSE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO JOI-IN L.BURLEIGH, OF SAME PLACE.

BAG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of `Letters Patent No. 584,726, dated June15, 1897.

Application led February l, 1897. Serial No. 621,440. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. LIGHT- HOUSE, a resident of Brooklyn, inthe county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new andusefullmprovements in Mail-Bags; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains 1o tomake anduse the same.

The invention relates to mail-bags, and has for its obj ectto'facilitate their manufacture, lessen their weight and cost, andincrease their efficiency; and the invention consists in theconstruction hereinafter described and particularly pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side elevation. Fig. 2 is aview showing a longitudinal section and a similar partial seceo tionenlarged. Fig. 3 is an isometric view of several parts of a bagdetached. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4.of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a sectionon line 5 5 of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a plan of a rear mouthpiece and appartially folded 2 5 and stitched together. Fig. 7 is a blank forforming the said mouthpiece and flap. Fig. 8 is an isometric view ofthefront mouthpiece partially folded and stitched. Fig. 9 is a section online 9 9 of Fig. l. Fig. lO is a view 3o of a modified detail.

A portion of the improvements relates to the lower part of the bag,which will be first described.

Numeral l denotes the body of the bag,made

3 5 of any suitable fabric and preferably of canvas woven in tubular orseamless form, and 2 a leather bottom formed of one piece, which parts,however7 may be made of any usual or desired form and material.

3 indicates a band of leather or other suitable material secured to andjoining the said body and bottom, and 4 is a band of canvas or the likedesigned to cover and reinforce the upper joint of the leather band andcanvas bodr- Heretofore the canvas body has been eX- tended down to thelower edge of the leather joining-band and belowT the upturned edge ofthe bottom and between said edges, and riv- 5o ets, such as indicated by6, have secured the bag-body, being situated near the band, fends roobottom rim, body, and band together. Such construction is defective,because it is difticult thereby to make a close joint, considerable timeand care being required to suitably dispose, hold, and fasten the canvasbetween the leather parts. Further, such joint cannot be madesufficiently close to avoid the occasional introduction and sticking ofletters or other objects in the spaces left between the corners andbottom. The interposed fabric 6o is not needed, for the reason that theleather parts are sufficiently strong, and it makesV a coarse joint,adding unnecessarily to the weight and the cost of the article.

To avoid the above-named evils and waste of material, the canvasbag-body is attached to and terminated at the upper edge of the v band 3on itsinside. A canvas covering band or strip 4 is by preferenceattached to the said band 3 on the outside. This is effected by 7oplacing the parts together so that the bottom edges of the covering bandor strip 4 and bodyl l shall coincide with the upper edge of the leatherband 3,- situated between them, and then stitching or otherwise securingto 75 gether a single thickness of each, as indicated at 5. The partsare then turned so as to double the canvas over the line of stitching 5on each side of band 3, and the portions of the canvas strip andbag-body thus turned back 8o adjacent the upper part of band 3 aresecured to the said inclosed folds and band and to each other by one ormore rows of stitches 6, situated above the seam 5. The upper edge ofthe canvas band 4 is then turned in and 85 stitched, as indicated at 7'.The bottom having been riveted to the joining-band 4 the bottom of thebag is complete and without the objections above noted.

The bottom is molded from one piece of 9o leather and has an integralupturned rim. The joining-band is preferably made of one piece ofleather, though it may be made of lengthwise sections. The band and rim,be ing comparatively sti and adapted to maintain a suitable form,can befastened together, so as to leave no crevices that will permit theentrance of the corners of letters or other packages. Further, thefolded bottom of the off any article liable to penetrate a crevice, andin like manner the joint between the body and band is protected by thefending action of the bottom rim and of the body itself, and whateveropening, ledge, or crevice exists faces downwardly and is situated nearthe defensive rim of the bottom. The construction is much less liable tocatch and hold packages than one in which a joint made of flexible orelastic fabric is upwardly turned in situation exposed to descendingarticles. Such joints cannot be so tightly closed, and by means of theflexibility of the fabric and the exposed situation they have provedliable to catch and hold maihmatter.

Another part of the improvement relates to the mouth of the bag andmeans for closing it. These comprise front and back mouthpieees joinedto the upper edges of the bagbody and joined to each other at the sides,oneof these pieces being made large enough to form a flap which carriesstaples to secure itself and the front and back parts of the bagmouthtogether by the aid of grometed holes, as in a general way is usual inthis class of bags. Ileretofore the iiap has operated defectively,because it could not be turned down by a single movement effected fromone end of the iiap at the near edge of the bag in manner to enter thestaples in all the gromets. The prior construction has been. suoli thatthe flap would bind at its junction with the mouth of the bag atthemonth-corner and its outer end would lag behind in the turning or clos-ring movement and the remoter staples would fall short of their seats,making a separate pull of the Hap necessary to bring the staples down totheir work. This, besides the inconvenience of the manipulation, impairsthe fiap, and being often repeated causes it to wear or crack. Theseevils are avoided by the hereinafter-described construction.

8 and S) denote the front and back pieces, respectively, and 10 theflap, staples being denoted by 11, gromets by 12, and a securingstrap by13. The strap is fixed to the back or outer side of the flap by a staple14, and

having been suitably passed through the staples 12 is locked to a staple15, as is custo1n` ary. The several staples are secured to the flap bymeans of plates 1G. Rivets to aid in holding the plates together uponthe canvask are indicated by 17. This is a very secure construction, butis not new at this date, be-

ing the subject of Patent No. 459,869, granted to me September 22, 1891.

The front mouthpiece is separately shown in Fig. 8, which represents itas folded a little above its longest diameter to leave a singlethickness 35 for attachment of the bagbody. The rear combined mouthpieceand fiap are similarly folded to leave a like mar-` gin 36 of singlethickness, as indicated in Fig. (i, for a like purpose. The front mouthfolded double, as stated, is stitched, as indicated at 18. Its loweredge is also folded inwardly, as indicated at 20, and is inserted withina corresponding fold 21 of the bag-body, and this fold 21 of the bag andthe fold 2O of the front mouthpiece are stitched to each other and tothe body of the front piece by a line of stitches 22, and the bag-bodyand front piece and their folds are stitched together, as indicated at223.

The back piece that carries the flap is secured to the bag-body in asimilar manner, as shown, the folds being indicated by 20' and 21 andthe lines of stitches by 22' and 23, respectively.

The ends of both the doubled front and back pieces have atrthe line ofthe edges of the bag inwardly-folded edges 24 and 25, respectively. Theinner edges of these folds 2t and 25 (see Figs. 4, 9, and 10) arestitched to each other and to the back piece by stitches 27.Stitch-lines 27 are continuous with lines 27, (see Figs. 1, 3,and 6,)securing the edges of the flap-folds to said flap. The folds of the flapare, however, securely fastened to the main part thereof by the outerstaples and gromets, as shown, so that the parts would be joined with areasonable degree of secur ity were the stitching around these staplesand gromets omitted. In prior constructions this additional effect ofthe staples and plates and gromets has not been secured and stitchinghas been the sole means of securing the edges of the folds, which parts,being subject to great wear, are perfectly defended by the presentimprovement.

To avoid making the corners of the iiap too thick and heavy and to avoidimpairing its flexibility, a part of the inner fold 25 on each end ofthe flap and back piece that would be under the outer staple -plates 16and the gromets is cut away, as indicated at 29. (See Figs. G and 7.)

Instead of making the front and back mouthpieces 8 and 9 of the samelength widthwise of the bag, as heretofore practiced, the front piece ismade a little the longer, as indicated in Figs. 7 and 8, whereby it isinsured that the outer edge 30 of the completed iiap and of the backmouthpiece shall not extend outside the line of the edge of thebag, butshall rather lie within it, the purpose of which construction is toavoid the binding effeet of the mouth-corner 31 heretofore common inthis class of bags and whereby the closing of the flap is delayed andobstructed, as above stated. In the present improved construction theflap can be turned down and the staples entered or brought directly tothe gromets by a single movement of one hand without requiring an eXtrapull crosswise of the bag or any unnecessary force tending to wear ordistort the flap or bag-mouth.

Modifications of the above-described devices which do not involveessential depart- IOO IIO

sential that the leather j oining-band be made in one piece, nor is theuse of the materials described essential, and referring to the lengthsof the mouthpieces or bands the advantages of making the front band thelongest could be secured, at least in part, by folding in a widerportion of the back piece than of the front piece. In such case thestitches 27 would be nearer the edges of the folds 24 of the front piecethan to the edge of 25, as indicated in Fig. l0. It is, however,preferred that the front piece be made longer, as stated, and that thisline of stitches should be equidistant from the edges of both folds, asshown.

The improvements in the flap are not entirely dependent on the use ofthe described mouthpieces. In some portions of the bag now shown anddescribed as stitched together other means than stitching might be usedto join parts, and wherever herein stitching or stitches are named it isnot intended to exclude any equivalent fastening devices.

Ilaving described my invention, what I claim isl. In a bag, the bottom,the bag-body hav ing a fold at its foot, the covering-strip 4 having afold at its bottom, the intermediate band 3 joining the bottom and body,said band being fastened to the bottom and between Ithe body-fold andcovering-strip fold near the lower part of the folds and fastened at ornear its upper edge to the strip, body and folds, substantially asdescribed. l

2. In a bag, the leather bottom having an upturned rim, and the leatherjoining-band, each made of one thickness and the band secured to theupturned rim of the bottom, the woven seamless bagbody having a fold atits foot, an exterior covering-strip having at its foot a fold, saidjoining-band being secured to the folds of the body and strip near theirlower edges and its upper edge secured to said folds near their upperedges and also secured to the strip and body, and the strip secured tothe bag-body above the band, all substantially as described.

3. In a bag, the mouth inclosed by the front and back pieces, the backpiece having a flap, both pieces being secured to the bag-body at itstop and secured to eachother by a vertical seam near the line of theside edges of the bag, and the front piece made longer widthwise of thebag than the back piece adjacent their connection with each other toavoid the binding action on the flap of the seamed joint and tofacilitate the manipulation of the iiap, substantially as described.

et. In a bag, the flap made of a double thickness of material and havingeach, thickness folded at its ends widthwise of the bag, said folds anddouble flap being fastened together and one of the interior folds 25 ateach end being partially cut away, as at 29, outside the fold and flapfastenings to decrease the thickness and stiffness of the parts,substantially as described.

5. In a bag the front mouthpiece, the back mouthpiece with a flap, saidmouthpieces having gromets and the iiap having staples adapted to passthrough the gromets, said flap being folded inwardly on itself at eachend widthwise of the bag and said folds secured to the iiap-body bystaples, substantially as described.

6. In a mail-bag, the body having at its top a fold turned outwardly anddownwardly, the mouthpiece having at its bottom a fold turned inwardlyand upwardly, stitches passing through the body, mouthpiece and folds,and stitches passing through the mouthpiece and folds only and situatedbelow the stitches first named, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

(3l-IAS. F. LIGHTHOUSE.

Vitnesses:

FRANK D. BLAcKIsToNn, BENJ. R. CATLIN.

